BurdaStyle Sewing Vintage Modern Contest 2013 - Feathers Wil...

Description

I was so excited when I heard about this contest and I instantly had plans for the faux ostrich I had acquired recently. I really love the simplicity, elegance and femininity of the vintage silhouette so I decided to keep my pattern simple and stick to the Elizabeth Gathered Waist Dress. I do not usually make a muslin but from the beginning realized I would have to as my fabric would not be very forgiving if I would have to pull seams out. Having seen so many peplums running around I knew I had to have one and thought separates would be a good option for this outfit, I also thought this would be the perfect opportunity to do a Peter Pan collar as well. I did not want to minimize the options for accessorizing so I made the Peter Pan collar removable.

When I decided to go with the faux ostrich I knew I wanted to use a color for the skirt. Since Emerald seems to be in this year and green is one of my favorite colors I knew the skirt had to be green. I did not want it to stand out obnoxiously though so I used an overlay to minimize the severity of the color. While visiting my parents in California we made a road trip to the Mood fabrics in LA. (I am a big fan of Project Runway and have always wanted to go to Mood. It is the sister store to the one on Project Runway and it was awesome!) While at Mood I found this great metallic green polyester knit and a fabulous spandex mesh to go over it. The sequin fabric I had in my stash, though I had to cut each row off separately in order to sew on, bit of a pain but worth it! I think it makes a great LBD too!

Thank you to my good friend Deanna for taking the pictures!
I am very pleased with how it truned out and I can’t wait to wear it out with my husband

• Made Bodice and dress as separates
• Used instructions for Lillian Blouse for raising the neckline.
• Added self-drafted removable Peter Pan collar.
• Attached each row of sequins to the collar separately.
• Had to make 2 pieces for the back instead of one to account for the zipper (having changed the neckline I wouldn’t be able to fit my head through otherwise).
• Used French seams on the mesh.
• Removed 32 of fullness from the skirt.
• Fully lined both bodice and skirt.
• Added a peplum to the blouse, used flounce pattern piece number 6 from the Drop Waist Dress for the peplum. I made one single piece for the front and two pieces for the back (to account for the zipper).
• The faux ostrich I used for the bodice was a bit thin and had a tiny bit of stretch to it so I used a light weight fusible interfacing to give it some stability (I did not interface the peplum pieces).
• Belt has fabric base with feathers sewn directly onto it.
• I made all the accessories (hair piece, purse, earrings, necklaces, bracelet and revamped the shoes to match)

Material Notes

My main fabrics were very unforgivein, infact I would say they liked to hold grudges because pulling stitches out of them was nearly impossible. So I knew I had to make a muslin to do all of my fitting on and I am soooo happy I did!

We Are Now An Official Affiliate of Mood Fabrics

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